This invention relates to automated banking machines. Specifically this invention relates to an automated banking machine that enables currency bills, notes or other documents deposited by one customer to be identified and stored in the machine, and later selectively dispensed to another customer.
Automated banking machines are known in the prior art. A popular type of automated banking machine is an automated teller machine (ATM). Other types of automated banking machines are used to count and dispense cash. These machines are often used by tellers or customer service representatives in banking and other transaction environments.
Some types of automated banking machines are used to dispense other items such as tickets, travelers checks, coupons, scrip, wagering slips, vouchers or other items of value. Some automated banking machines accept deposits in the form of envelopes, checks, cash or other items. Some automated banking machines can be used for providing credit, making bill payments or to debit or deposit funds in various accounts. For purposes of this disclosure an automated banking machine shall be considered any type of machine which carries out transactions of value.
ATM machines commonly in use accept deposits from customers and process the deposits using devices which are separate from the devices which dispense currency and other items to customers. Most common ATM depositories require customers to place their deposits in an envelope. The envelope is accepted into the machine for storage. Although the customer indicates the value of the contents of the envelope, the customer""s account is often not credited for the amount of deposit until the envelope is removed from the ATM by bank personnel and the contents verified.
Other ATM machines have the capability of receiving checks and other negotiable instruments. Such machines may include a device such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,467. Devices of this type can be used to cancel and produce electronic images of checks which are deposited into an ATM machine. The cancelled checks are stored in the machine for later removal by bank personnel.
Currency notes, travelers checks and other documents and sheet materials that are commonly dispensed by ATMs, are generally housed in the machine in removable canisters. Sheets are dispensed from the canisters and delivered by the machine to customers. Periodically these canisters must be removed from the machine and the supply of sheets therein replenished. This is a labor intensive activity. To replace the canisters the secure portion of the ATM must be opened. The canisters in the machine must be removed and new canisters, which include a new supply of sheets, placed in the machine. Alternatively the canisters in the machine may be opened, money or other sheets added, and then replaced. After the canisters are replaced the secure portion of the machine must be closed.
The replacement or resupply of canisters often requires transporting filled canisters to the machine and returning partially depleted canisters to a remote location. While efforts have been made in the design of canisters to minimize opportunities for pilferage, there is always some risk. Therefore such activities are normally carried out by armed couriers. More than one person is often assigned to any task where there is access to the cash or other valuables in the machine. Because numerous individuals may be involved in loading replacement canisters, transporting replacement canisters to ATM machines, replacing the canisters, returning the removed canisters and auditing the contents of returned canisters, it is often difficult to identify the cause of any losses.
The need to periodically replace currency canisters is an inconvenience because the ATM must be shut down. Customers are not able to use the ATM while the supply of currency is being replenished, and lost opportunities to conduct transactions and customer dissatisfaction may result. Customers will also be disappointed if replenishment operations are not performed frequently enough and the machine runs out of currency or other documents.
Other types of automated banking machines, such as those that dispense cash to customer service representatives, have the same drawbacks as ATM machines. Periodic replenishment of the currency or other valuable documents that are dispensed by the machine must be done to keep the machine in operation. While such machines speed the cash dispensing service to the customer, there is a significant cost associated with segregating, preparing and transporting the currency before it is placed within the machine.
Other banking machines have been developed for identifying and counting currency. Such machines may be used in banking and vending environments. Machines which count currency generally require that the currency be pre-oriented a particular way to obtain proper identification. This is time consuming for the person operating the machine. Many currency counting machines also tend to reject valid notes due to natural deterioration which occurs in U.S. currency. The speed associated with such currency counting and accepting machines is also less than desirable in many cases.
Automated banking machines which are capable of receiving currency, identifying the particular type and denomination of currency, storing the currency and later dispensing it to a customer have been used in countries outside the United States. Such recycling machines are feasible in countries such as Japan where currency notes include special features which facilitate their identification by machines. However, such recycling machines have not generally been feasible with U.S. currency notes which generally do not include special features that facilitate identification by machine. U.S. currency notes also are subject to a wide range of conditions such as wear, soiling and bleaching which do not render a note unfit for use, but which render it very difficult for a machine to properly identify.
The currency recycling type banking machines that have been developed also generally suffer from slow operating speeds. This is particularly true when the machines are used to process a large number of notes. Often such machines require that the notes be oriented in a particular way and considerable time is associated with the rejection of notes due to improper orientation. The handling of the sheets to facilitate identification and storage is also a time consuming process. Once a sheet has been initially identified as proper and stored in the machine, there is generally no check to be sure that the original determination of the type and character of the note was correct. As a result, a customer may receive a misidentified note. This can reduce customer satisfaction.
Thus there exists a need for a currency recycling automated banking machine that is more reliable, operates more quickly, and which can be used with U.S. and other currencies as well as other documents which have a wide range of properties.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that is reliable and that operates more rapidly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that works with currency notes and other documents that have a wide variety of properties.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that is capable of unstacking and separating documents input in a stack.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine that orients documents relative to a sheet path while moving such documents at a high rate of speed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that can transport a plurality of documents in a sheet path concurrently and at a high rate of speed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that identifies documents and which returns unidentifiable documents to a customer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that enables a customer to deposit documents into the banking machine, and after the documents have been identified, to elect whether to deposit the documents or to have them returned.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that can identify deposited documents regardless of orientation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that enables selectively storing deposited documents in storage areas in the machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that enables selectively storing deposited documents in removable canisters.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a currency recycling automated banking machine that enables recovery of documents stored in storage areas and dispensing the documents to customers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine in which documents may concurrently be transported, oriented, stored in storage areas and dispensed from other storage areas within the machine.
Further objects of the present invention will be made apparent in the following Best Modes for Carrying Out the Invention and the appended claims.
The foregoing objects are accomplished in a preferred embodiment of the present invention by a currency recycling automated banking machine. The machine includes an input/output area in which a customer may insert documents that are to be deposited and from which a customer withdrawing documents may receive documents.
A customer deposits documents in a stack. The documents are moved from the input/output area into a central transport. In an unstack area documents are removed from the stack one by one and separated into a stream of single separate documents. The documents move along a document path in the central transport. The documents moving in the central transport are each deskewed to properly orient them relative to the direction of travel along the document path. The documents are further moved to align them into a proper centered relation in the document path.
Each document is then moved past a document type identifier device which operates to identify the type and/or denomination of each document. Identifiable documents are directed into an escrow area while unidentifiable documents are directed into a reject area of the input/output area of the machine.
A customer is informed of any unidentifiable documents through input and output devices on the machine. Any unidentifiable documents may then be delivered to the customer from the reject area. Alternatively, depending on the programming of the machine such rejected documents may be stored in the machine for later analysis.
Properly identified documents are initially held in the escrow area. The output devices on the machine indicate to the customer the type and/or value of the identifiable documents. The customer preferably is enabled to select whether to have such documents returned or to deposit such documents. If the customer elects to have the documents returned, the documents are passed out of the input/output area and the customer""s account is not credited for the value of the documents.
If the customer elects to deposit the documents the documents are again moved through the central transport in a stream of rapidly moving separated documents. The documents are again identified by the identification device. However, rather than being routed to the reject and escrow areas, the identified documents are now preferably routed by the control system of the machine to selected storage locations. The storage locations are locations in which documents of the particular types are stored in the machine. The storage areas in the machine of the preferred embodiment are areas in a plurality of removable canisters. The customer""s account is then credited for the value of the deposited documents.
The same customer who deposited documents or a subsequent customer wishing to make a withdrawal from the machine may receive documents that have been previously stored in the storage areas. Document dispensing mechanisms associated with the storage areas selectively remove documents from the storage areas and route them to the central transport of the machine. As the documents move through the central transport they pass the identification device. The type and denomination of each document being dispensed is verified. This assures that the initial identification of the documents made when they were deposited in the machine is correct. This third verification assures that a customer withdrawing documents from the machine is not given an improper document. The documents are removed from the storage areas concurrently so as to facilitate rapid operation of the machine and are controlled in movement through the remote transport segments and the central transport to assure that they move as a stream of separated documents as they pass the identification device.
The identified documents to be dispensed to the customer are moved by the central transport to an escrow area. From the escrow area they are presented to the customer. The customer""s account is then charged or debited for the documents that have been withdrawn.
The control system of the preferred embodiment includes a distributed processing system. The processing system has a hierarchy with the highest level being a terminal processor (TP). The terminal processor runs a terminal application which communicates with external devices as well as the other levels in the control system hierarchy. A module processor (MP) is below the terminal processor in the control system hierarchy. The module processor coordinates activities within the machine and tracks the dispense and acceptance of media. The module processor handles the details of the instructions that it receives from the terminal processor.
The module processor communicates with a plurality of module controllers (MC). The module controllers communicate with the devices that sense, move and direct media. The module controllers communicate with the module processor and receive instructions therefrom. The module controllers run tasks to control the physical devices based on the instructions that they receive from the module processor. The tasks executed by the module controllers carry out the particular activities associated with the instructions received from the module processor.
The hierarchy of the control system of the preferred embodiment enables each level to deal with particular functions that are most effectively handled by that level. This provides faster processing as well as coordination between activities so that documents may be moved concurrently through the machine.